Sunday, September 15, 2013

art for self-improvement

Patience is not one of my strengths, which is why mixed media is good for me. The drying time necessary between layers forces me to practice patience. Of course, there's nothing that says I have to succumb without a bit of a fight -- like a fan rigged up to hasten the drying time.

Today is my first time getting paint on my fingers for many months. Feels good! My thanks go out to my pal Sheila who had an old board game at her altered art supply sale yesterday, which looked like an excellent beginning background to me. It will be interesting to see how this piece evolves. Heck, it's always interesting -- they rarely end up how I envision them to begin with, IF I even have a beginning vision - ha! Sometimes, you just have to start somewhere. Hey, that makes me think of a quote...

"I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew.

Writing a poem is discovering." ~ Robert Frost

If you create mixed media (or any other art/craft that can't be completed in one sitting), what do you do during the drying time? Do you have several pieces in various stages so you can move from one to another? Is that tough to shift gears? I'd like hearing from you.

4 comments:

Much of my art is done in stages. Of course clay has several very long stages but when working with paints or dyes that require drying time I simply move to another room for the drying, working in the kitchen prepping dinner or throwing in a load of laundry, etc. Of course there is the option of watching paint dry but my impatience has me moving on too quickly when I try and do that!

I am so happy you are getting messy with paint and creating art! I work on several pieces at once. Otherwise I would go crazy waiting for the layers to dry! Love your studio space and the news of your business! Congratulations!!roxanne

yeah! here is to paint on your fingers! woo hoo!glad to hear your at it again!as for me- the ArtADD makes it difficult- i must finish a piece in one sitting, sometimes working for 10/12 hours at a click (unless of course it is clay) or i get bored and move on to something else. thus explains the dozens of whining WIPS in my studio :O) a good heat gun, a large fan and just mushing it all together are my tricks! that and making up plaster and bases in advance.switching subjects- thank you SO MUCH for the package! you are definately on my short list!xoxotracey jean